The present invention generally relates to a method for distributing information-media contents. More specifically, the present invention relates to expanding the revenue from information capacity of the media.
Data communications systems have evolved from simple methods of conveying information. In ancient times messages were carried by word of mouth. Later, messengers on foot carried hand-carved messages on stone tablets. This further evolved, as handwriting developed, to handwritten messages on papyrus, leather and then paper carried by foot messengers and later by messengers on horseback. Already, in those early times, there was a natural limit to the amount of information that any one messenger could carry.
The advent of manual signaling from hilltop to hilltop was followed, with the arrival of electricity on the communication scene, by the electric telegraph. The amount of information that could be conveyed took a quantum leap forward. Again, there was a natural limit to the amount of information that could be carried by this new medium. At the turn of the last century, radio made its first tentative appearance on the communication scene. The flow of information seemed to have taken another quantum leap forward.
In the middle of the last century, with the advent of the first computers and television, the communication age seems to have finally burst through all the limits of previous millennia. The past decade saw increases in the flow of information facilitated by developments of the Internet, cellular telephones and various wireless communication devises. All these have apparently broken prior historic limits to the flow of information. However, this is not the case. Another limit has become apparent, namely the limit of human capacity to peruse this vast flow of information to the point of saturation.
An additional problem has also become apparent with the growth of the Internet and other data communication systems. Communication media are also being used for another purpose, in parallel with transmitting core information. This is the transmission of special messages alongside the core information. Special messages include advertisements, notifications, legal notices, credit warnings and a host of other items. These messages are both single directional or interactive between sender and targeted recipient.
Generally, special messages are carried in a number of media. For example, advertisements are included in newspapers and magazines, on Internet Web sites, over cellular telephone media, radio, television and many others. The amount and proportion of such special messages that can be carried in a media is limited by a number of factors. These include aesthetic, physical and financial considerations. It would seem that these limiting factors may be expressed as the ratio of the amount of special messages to the quantity of core information. When the proportion of non-core information reaches a point of unacceptability to a viewer or reader, this point is termed saturation. Even for a media predicated on 100% special messages, there is a physical upper limit.
Typically, in an Internet Web site, it has become commonplace to have a variety of special messages. These typically include advertisements with or without hyper-linking to other Web sites or other Web pages. In much the same way, magazines and newspapers carry special text and graphic messages in the form of advertisements, legal notices and so on. Again, there is an upper limit, even for print media predicated on 100% special messages.
Either due to physical limitations or due to reaching an unacceptable ratio of special messages to core information, media reach the point of being unable to carry additional special messages. This saturation represents a financially limiting problem to that media after a popular media has a waiting list of advertisement orders. For this reason, many methods are used to try to extend this saturation point, for example, by using hyperlinks on a Web site, by adding supplements to newspapers or magazines, by adding special message supplements to credit card billing and many others. These techniques merely appear to delay the onset of saturation and is often rather ineffective. In some cases, it is undesirable, for financial considerations, to extend the physical size of the media. Therefore, a magazine may be limited to a specific number of pages and a Web site to a specific number of web pages. Equally, it is vital that aesthetics of any media be taken into consideration so that readers or viewers are not overwhelmed with the multiplicity and density of information represented by such saturation, making a media appear unfriendly and overwhelming. There is, then, a need for a method to reach beyond this point of saturation in a media.
Technical Issues:
The natural limitation to the quantity of special messages that may be applied to a data communication media is itself not a technical problem but rather one of financial, aesthetic and pragmatic considerations. However, the present invention provides a very technical solution to the saturation of many communication media. In essence, the present invention provides a solution by avoiding the characteristics causing saturation. This solution is achieved by making an alternative site in the same or an alternative media available for additional special messages, generally using existing modules and technology.
Ergonomic Issues:
Viewing a magazine that is supposed to be informative, but consists of a disproportionate amount of advertisements and other notices, is highly irritating. Viewing an Internet Web site for specific information only to find that it consists of advertisements, notices, warnings and other messages is no less problematic. Apart from the financial and physical implications, there is also a significant aesthetic problem. In general, communication media exist for reasons of economics. Finding a media that is aesthetically displeasing or too packed with information extraneous to the core information, will ultimately result in a loss of visitors to the site or readers to buy a magazine. The present invention addresses both the aesthetic problem and loss of revenue by a media site unable to accommodate additional special messages. Another important aspect of the present invention relates to using generally existing, known modules and technology, making implementation transparent.
Also, sales persons will require no special or additional training in the techniques involved.
Economic Issues:
Imagine having sold all the available advertising space in a magazine and then receiving inquiries for additional advertising space. This is the essence of the financial problem addressed by the present invention particularly in the context of electronic media such as Internet. Selling additional advertising space accessible in an alternative site or data communication media, even at a somewhat reduced price, represents a significant financial advantage to the magazine or broadcaster site. The present invention, by making additional space available, either at an alternative site or in an alternative media, provides an innovative and very financially attractive solution generally using existing modules and technology in an unobvious way. Revenue from this resource would not ordinarily have accrued to the original advertising media site without having an alternative to an otherwise fully subscribed advertising site.
Moreover, a web site or magazine realize that no matter how big it is, the traffic to an aggregate of sites is always bigger than the traffic to one site and on a personal level, the number of pages seen by a reader of a web site within the web site is usually smaller than the number of the pages the web site reader reads elsewhere. Due to the aforementioned a web site with 20% of sold ad space and 80% unsold ad space might prefer to let its advertisers reach its audience outside of its web site in return for a lower price than lowering its price within the site and the reasons are clear, the number of pages the visitor will read outside the site are bigger than the number of pages the reader will read within the site and therefore it is preferable to the web site to sell its advertisers the visitor to its web site outside its site for a lesser site though but for a bigger number of exposures. Selling the visitor to its advertiser while not within the site (OUT OF CONTEXT ad) enables the site to reduce price without devaluing its relationships with the advertisers on the site it self.
Notices
The present invention will forthwith be described with a certain degree of particularity, however those versed in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and alterations may be carried out without departing from either the spirit or scope, as hereinafter claimed.
In describing the present invention, explanations are presented in light of currently accepted data communications theories and media models. Such theories and models are subject to changes, both adiabatic and radical. Often these changes occur because representations for fundamental component elements are innovated, because new transformations between these elements are conceived, or because new interpretations arise for these elements or for their transformations. Therefore, it is important to note that the present invention relates to specific technological actualization in embodiments. Accordingly, theory or model dependent explanations herein, related to these embodiments, are presented for the purpose of teaching, the current man of the art or the current team of the art, how these embodiments may be substantially realized in practice. Alternative or equivalent explanations for these embodiments may neither deny nor alter their realization.
Furthermore, in most instances in the context of the present invention, an example of a facilitation is an offer; in other instances, a facilitation may be appreciated to include performance of an activity or an acceptancexe2x80x94as will forthwith be further appreciated by examples provided in the following Glossary.
Glossary
Broadcaster: A broadcaster is a participant in a distribution of electronic signalsxe2x80x94be they digital signals, analog signals, or the likes. For example, in the context of the Internet, a broadcaster is preferably a media owner. In the broad context of interactive bi-directional electronic communications, a broadcaster is a predetermined party in a transmission path from a present communications initiator to a present designated recipientxe2x80x94for example a telephone call initiator, any repeater in the interconnection of that call to the recipient, or the recipient. Furthermore, in the context of today""s hybrid electronic media, a broadcaster may be a programmable component that can be inserted into the caller to recipient path.
Conjunction: In the context of the present invention, the expression xe2x80x9cin conjunctionxe2x80x9d relates to a division of work between parties, such as between an agency and a broadcaster. This division may be of any proportionxe2x80x94so long as a nominal task remains for one of the parties to accomplish. In some circumstances, there is a definite preference for the division of labor to have a specific predefined asymmetry, while in other circumstances the division may occur using a simple easy to accomplish criteria. Furthermore, sometimes there is a specific bias as to which party performs some specific aspect of the conjunctive task, for example, according to a concern to preserve privacy, etc.
Cookie: A Cookie is a message given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message in a text file called cookie txt or a cookie directory or the likes. The message is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server. Cookies serve as recognition symbols or messages in a particular Web browser that can be recognized and acted upon by that cookie placing Web server.
Offsite Content: In the context of the present invention, offsite content is content that derived from outside of the immediate local context of a present site. For example, on an Internet page, an offsite content may be a banner or may substantially be the result of clicking on a hyperlink to another page (be it in the same internet site or in another internet site) especially when the hyper link is to outside of the current page. In the context of a telephone conversation between two parties, a audio time pulse placed by the telephone service provider is also an example of an offsite content. Likewise, xe2x80x9cpiped inxe2x80x9d background music that a caller hears when waiting for his call to be transferred is an example of an offsite content.
Super-saturation: In the context of the present invention, the term Saturation simplistically describes a situation where a data communication media site contains a maximum predetermined amount of content presentation apart from core information. This content presentation may be in the form of advertisements, notifications and other information not directly associated with core data. Maximum amount of content presentation is limited by physical, aesthetic and pragmatic factors. Exceeding this saturation level leads to the state of out of context media fulfillment, that is, containing more content presentation than is desirable, pragmatic, physically possible or aesthetically pleasing.
Alternatively, in the context of the present invention, a more pragmatic definition for the term Saturation relates to a current level of predetermined content in a specific media instance; for example a web site currently has sold 20% of the space that it has allocated for advertising. In the nomenclature of the present invention, this represents a level of actual saturation of 20% of available in context advertising potential. The present invention generally relates to a super-saturation method whereby a new revenue stream is created by facilitating out of context potential (for advertising or otherwise) that is in excess of any actual saturationxe2x80x94be it 20% as in the pragmatic example or be it 100% as in the prior simplistic example.
Simply stated, super-saturation relates to facilitating out of context placement of content, and this placement is by definition in addition to the saturation of the in context materialxe2x80x94regardless of the level of in context materials.
SIM Card: This is a Subscriber Identity Module card that is commonly inserted into a cellular telephone.
Tagging: Tagging relates to an identification that reveals that the tagged visitor is known to have been at a predetermined information media, such as an internet site or a specific internet page, or have dialed up to a specific telephone number, etc. The tag need not contain any information that identifies the visitor nor need it contain any information that allows the visitor to be profiled. A tag simply identifies that its bearer was so marked for having been at a specific location, or for having been there for a predetermined amount of time, or for having conducted some specific action there, etc.
The present invention relates to a super-saturation method for information-media, whereby a second information-media broadcaster in conjunction with an agency extends a content presentation of a first broadcaster beyond a predetermined information-media saturation threshold for content presentation of the first broadcaster, the method including the steps of:
a) an agency facilitating visitor identification; (note: in the context of the present invention xe2x80x9can agencyxe2x80x9d is a service facilitator)
b) in conjunction with the agency, a first broadcaster of the first information-media tagging a preponderance of visitors to the first information-media with a tag; and
c) in conjunction with the agency, a second broadcaster of a second information-media recognizing a visitor to the second information-media as having the tag, and thereupon by proxy-either in conjunction with the agency or in conjunction with the first broadcasterxe2x80x94the second broadcaster accepting the offsite content presentation for the recognized visitor.
For a combination of financial and pragmatic considerations, it is a sine qua non that commercial Web sites and other data communication media, in presenting a variety of core information to viewers, readers or listeners, also insert an amount of non-core special message information. Special messages include advertisements, legal instruments, credit warnings and notifications, to name but a few. These special messages take the form of single directional informative messages or as interactive information directed at specific targeted clients.
It is obviously in the best interest of a proprietor of these media, to place as much and as many special messages into each media presentation as possible, since this is a prime and significant source of revenue. However, there is a natural limitation to the quantity of special messages that may be applied to a data communication media. This limitation, described as saturation, is not itself a technical problem but rather one of financial, aesthetic and pragmatic considerations.
A media may reach this saturation level due to pragmatic considerations such as limited physical size or space. In addition, saturation may occur due to a requirement to limit the cost of a producing a Web site, magazine, newspaper or other media application. In general, providers of core information need to provide a service that has an aesthetic appeal to targeted client viewers, readers or listeners. By insertion of excessive amounts of special messages and consequent over-saturation of a media site, targeted clients will find the sheer volume of data too overwhelming and difficult to maintain interest and to absorb.
In addition, it is financially and from customer relationship point of view, undesirable to turn away clients who are willing to pay for insertion of special messages. In order to limit the amount of added special messages in a data communication media, while still not turning away requests for insertion of special messages, an alternative is needed. This alternative allows the Web site or other media to gain financially and still maintain customer confidence by applying a technique of super-saturation. The present invention provides a solution to this difficulty.
Ordinarily, each media broadcaster has a targeted client base, to which core information is directed. Targeted client bases are related, for example, to income level, profession, age, sex or field of interest, to name a few. In general, special messages are directed to the particular targeted client base of a media broadcaster.
Simply stated, when a media reaches special message saturation, in regard to the present invention, an agency or a second broadcaster is utilized to extend a special message content presentation through the use of a second, alternative information-media broadcaster. A special message, prepared at the direction of an agency by the first saturated media broadcaster are placed into the media of a second broadcaster. This special message presentation is for presentation to substantially the same targeted client base but on an off-site basis at another site servicing substantially the same client base.
To reach this client base, an arrangement is entered into by the first broadcaster in conjunction with the agency, so that substantially all clients visiting the first broadcaster are tagged. This tag is recognized when a tagged visitor requests a visit to the second broadcaster site. Recognition of such a tag gives rise, in conjunction with the agency or in conjunction with the first broadcaster, to a number of possibilities. For example, in an Internet situation, the visitor is presented with the first broadcaster""s special message. Alternatively, the visitor is caused to fetch a special message. Similarly, this special message is placed into a cellular Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card database, and targeted at a client base, appropriate to the first broadcaster. Another possibility is the use a telephone system data base.
The present invention also relates to a contracting structure for facilitating super-saturation of an information-media, whereby a second information-media broadcaster in conjunction with an agency extends a content presentation of a first broadcaster beyond a predetermined information-media saturation threshold for content presentation of the first broadcaster, the contracting structure including:
a) a first contractual agreement between an agency offering an offsite content presentation for a first information-media and a content provider accepting said offering;
i) whereby the agency provides a facilitated delivery of a content of the first content provider to an identified visitor visiting offsite; and
ii) whereby the content provider pays for the facilitated delivery;
b) a second contractual agreement between the agency and a first broadcaster of the first information-media;
i) whereby the first broadcaster provides a facilitated tagging of a preponderance of visitors to the first information-media; and
ii) whereby the agency provides a facilitated offsite placement of a content deriving from the first contractual agreement, the agency paying the first broadcaster for substantially each such facilitated placement; and
c) a third contractual agreement between the agency and a second broadcaster of a second information-media;
i) whereby the second broadcaster provides a facilitated recognizing of a visitor to the second information-media as having the tag, and thereupon by proxyxe2x80x94either in conjunction with the agency or in conjunction with the first broadcaster the second broadcaster provides a facilitated accepting the offsite content presentation for the recognized visitor; and
ii) whereby the agency pays for the facilitated delivery accepting.
Simply stated, the basis for this contracting structure is that a first broadcaster has reached a point of special message saturation. Another broadcaster in a second information-media, in conjunction with an agency, extends a special message content presentation on behalf of the first broadcaster. Therefore, the first broadcaster, in effect, reaches a content presentation beyond a predetermined information-media saturation threshold, or a state of super-saturation.
A contracting structure in terms of the present invention, consists of three separate contracts. A first contractual agreement is between an agency offering, for example, to an advertiser or a credit card organization, respectively, an insertion of an advertisement or a credit warning into an offsite media. This offer arises as a result of a first broadcaster being unable to accommodate additional insertions, that is, being at a point of saturation. The agency includes, in terms of this contract, a provision for delivering the inserted item to an identified offsite visitor. The advertiser pays the agent for this service.
A second contract is between the agency and a first broadcaster; in this case, the broadcaster that has reached saturation point, for insertion of additional items. The first broadcaster thus reaches a situation described by the present invention as super-saturation. The broadcaster agrees to provide tagging of substantially all visitors to this first media site. Further, the agency agrees to provide an alternative site for facilitating identified visitors from the first broadcaster site receiving the inserted item on visiting the second site. The agency pays the first broadcaster in terms off this contractual arrangement.
Finally, the agency enters into a third contract with a second broadcaster. In terms of this contract, in conjunction with either the agency or the first broadcaster, the second broadcaster provides a procedure for recognizing a tagged visitor to the second media. This procedure includes the visitor accepting the offsite presentation item. The agency pays the second broadcaster for accepting this item.
In terms of these three contracts, the first broadcaster benefits from selling a placement of an advertisement, a notification or other insertion into an alternative site. In spite of the first broadcaster being at a saturation point, by providing tagging of visitors to this first site, the first broadcaster provides the advertiser with a preponderance of first site visitors. These visitors are able to receive this message item at another appropriate site. The agency pays the second broadcaster for placing insertions on behalf of the advertiser for acceptance by visitors tagged at the first site. The advertiser benefits by having an advertisement, albeit at the second site, nevertheless targeted at visitors to the saturated first broadcaster site. The net proceeds from these contracts, of course, will accrue to the agency, which has acted as a facilitator and coordinator in terms of the contracts for this super-saturation method.
Typically, a web site sales force will sell access to its audience via offsite content because no one knows better than a web site sales force, how to sell to their own audience. An agency will merely act as a facilitator that will charge a percentage or a fee for a transaction for finding the audience elsewhere. A second site where the visitor will be found will rent its unsold space for a fixed fee or for a percentage of the transaction as well.
It should be noted that privacy is a huge issue that is substantially addressed by embodiments of the present invention. The second site need not even know where the audience of the first site is found nor that it is the first site that sold its space as an offsite space. The second site merely rents unsold space for an unknown visitor in return for a fee received from an agency and not the other site. The fact that an advertisement on behalf of site X advertiser is shown to the visitor while he is on site Y is of no consequence. Site X simply sold the space as offsite space to their advertiser. Site X does not know on which web site was their visitor found and they don""t care as long as it is not a porn site or another site that belongs to a category that either Site X or their Advertiser is not interested in. Site X reports to its advertiser just that its ad was shown to Site X visitor on another site. In this embodiment none of the parties learns new information about the visitor. Site X and its advertiser do not know at what web site was Site X visitor found. The site where the Site X visitor is found does not know that it is a Site X visitor, just that an unsold space of its was sold by another anonymous site and that in return for renting its own space to the other anonymous site it is receiving from the agency a fee.